AppsMarno
Travel like you live there.
Marno is the AI travel companion that does the work of a local friend — translating signs, teaching you phrases that actually sound right, and showing you the parts of a place a guidebook never gets to.
No account required · Free tier forever · Works offline for saved phrases
The problem
Travel apps are still stuck in 2014.
Phrasebooks read like robots. Translation apps spit out grammar- textbook sentences nobody actually says. Guidebooks tell you what to see, not how to be there. Marno is built for the way people travel now — quickly, curiously, and with a phone in their hand.
What Marno does
Translate anything, instantly.
Point your camera at a menu, a road sign, a museum plaque, or a handwritten note. Marno reads it, translates it, and reads it back in the local voice. Type it, speak it, or scan it — whichever's faster.
Speak like a local.
Not the textbook phrase. The phrase a local actually uses. Every translation comes with a “speak like a local” version — the slang, the contraction, the warm little aside that makes a stranger smile instead of just nod. Tap the speaker to hear it pronounced properly.
Learn as you go.
A proper progression, not a random word list. Basic — 30 words and numbers 1–10 so you can order, pay, and thank. Standard — 30 everyday travel phrases that actually come up. Advanced — 30 conversation pieces with prompts and responses, so you can hold a short polite chat with a local.
Beyond the map.
For people who like to wander. Marno opens up a curated set of fantasy “realms” — themed lenses on real places — alongside the standard country list. Travel in your head before you travel for real, or rediscover somewhere you thought you knew.
Emergency card.
One screen. Your allergies, blood type, medications, emergency contact, all pre-translated into the local language. Show it to a paramedic, a hotel clerk, a stranger. Peace of mind that fits in your pocket.
Driving companion.
Routes, points of interest, and on-the-road context for the places you're passing through — so a long drive becomes part of the trip, not the boring bit between cities.
Marno on a phone
Why Marno is different
Built by travellers, powered by
Anthropic’s Claude.
Marno runs on Claude — Anthropic’s most thoughtful language model — but you’ll never feel like you’re talking to a chatbot. Every screen is designed for the small, urgent moments of real travel: the menu you can’t read, the directions you didn’t catch, the moment you want to say something kind to your host in their own language. Marno responds in seconds, sounds natural, and respects where you are.
Cultural, not just literal.
Marno knows that Scotland isn't England, that Catalonia isn't Spain, and that a phrase that's polite in Tokyo is rude in Osaka. Regional identity is built in, not bolted on.
Private by design.
No account, no tracking pixels, no selling your location. Your translations and saved phrases live on your device.
Honest pricing.
Generous free tier. Clear caps. Optional Boost Packs if you need more on a heavy travel day. No surprise bills.
Marno in the moment
01 — Scenario
The menu moment.
You're in a back-street trattoria in Florence. The menu is handwritten. There's no English version. Marno scans it in two seconds and tells you what's good, what's regional, and what to absolutely order.
02 — Scenario
The wrong train.
You realise — three stops in — that you got on the wrong train in Tokyo. Marno tells you what to say, in Japanese, to the conductor, so you can fix it without the panic.
03 — Scenario
The host's kitchen.
Your Airbnb host in Lisbon is making pastéis de nata for you. You want to say something more than “obrigado”. Marno gives you the warm, local way to compliment a cook — and pronounces it for you before you say it out loud.
04 — Scenario
The Sunday wander.
You've got an afternoon free in a city you've never been to. Marno tells you what's nearby, what's worth your time, and what locals are doing on a Sunday — not what's in the top-ten lists.
Pricing
A free tier that’s actually useful — and clear plans if you outgrow it.
Free
Forever
- Translate, scan, and learn every day, on a generous daily allowance
- Save phrases for offline use
- One real region + one fantasy realm of your choosing
Pro
Monthly or yearly
- Higher daily limits across translate, scan, and generate
- Unlock more regions
- Smart routing to faster models when you need depth
Pro Max
Monthly or yearly
- The most generous daily limits
- Unlimited regions
- Family seats — share with up to three people you travel with
Boost Packs · One-off top-ups
50 or 150 extra calls for heavy travel days. No subscription required.
Cancel anytime in the App Store or Play Store. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends.
Privacy & trust
Your trip is your business.
Marno doesn’t need your real name, your phone number, or your email to work. We don’t sell data. We don’t track you across apps. Translations route through a privacy-respecting proxy that strips identifying information before it ever reaches our AI provider.
In the wild
Travellers from 30+ countries
are already using Marno.
I’ve used every translation app on the market. Marno is the first one that doesn’t sound like a robot. I ordered breakfast in a tiny place in Palermo and the owner stopped, turned around and said the Italian was perfect. I’m keeping this on my home screen forever.
The scan feature is unreal. We were in a back-street izakaya in Osaka with a handwritten menu and Marno just read it. Told us what was good, what was local, what to skip. We ate better in three days than we did the rest of the trip.
I’m a slow traveller — I stay places for weeks. The Discover sections are quietly extraordinary. The kind of small, specific cultural notes you usually only get from a friend who lives there. It made Porto feel like home in about four days.
Frequently asked
Answers, before you ask.
Does Marno work offline?
Saved phrases, downloaded regions, and your Emergency Card all work offline. Live translation and scan need a data connection (mobile or Wi-Fi) because the AI runs in the cloud.
Which languages does Marno support?
Marno can translate to and from the major world languages, plus regional varieties — Scots, Catalan, Brazilian Portuguese, Swiss German, Mexican Spanish, and many more. The “speak like a local” feature is tuned to the variety, not just the language.
Do I need to create an account?
No. Marno generates a private device identifier so your phrases and progress persist across reinstalls (on iOS via Face ID, on Android via secure storage). No email, no password, no data harvesting.
How does the camera scan work?
Point, tap, done. Marno reads printed text, handwritten menus, signs, packaging, and most museum labels. It works best with clear lighting and a steady hand.
Can I share Marno with my family?
Yes — Pro Max includes family seats for up to three additional people.
What happens if I hit my daily limit?
You can wait until tomorrow (the cap resets at midnight in your timezone), upgrade your plan, or grab a one-off Boost Pack of 50 or 150 extra calls.
Is Marno safe for kids?
Marno is rated suitable for general audiences. The content it generates is travel-focused and family-safe.
Who built Marno?
Marno is built by Core Shift Studios, a small UK-based studio. Get in touch at hello@coreshiftstudios.co.uk.
Your next trip starts here.
Download Marno free. Take it for a walk. See what travelling with a local friend in your pocket feels like.
Closed testing · Public release early June 2026
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